The Trump government announced the arrest of 11 legal residents with green cards in California and charged 28 with election fraud.

The United States Department of Justice announced this Monday, October 19, federal charges against 28 lawful permanent residents in California, accused of fraudulently registering to vote and, in several cases, participating in elections despite not having U.S. citizenship. The operation, named Operation Protect the Vote, involved the four federal districts of California. Authorities confirmed the arrest of 11 people during the day, while the official statement did not specify the arrest status of the other 17 accused. The defendants hold permanent residency cards, known as green cards, which allow them to live and work legally in the United States, but do not authorize them to vote in federal elections. The charges include false statements on naturalization applications, fraudulent voter registrations, and illegal participation in elections. Some of these crimes carry maximum penalties of five years in federal prison, while others can be punished with up to one year in jail. What the Department of Justice reported about the 28 residents accused According to the official statement, the accused allegedly lied about being U.S. citizens when completing their voter registration forms. In numerous cases, applications were approved and they subsequently cast votes in various elections. The authorities maintain that some of the investigated also concealed this background when applying for U.S. citizenship, when they swore that they had never claimed to be citizens or participated in elections. Among the cases mentioned is Omar Alexander Muñoz, a 72-year-old Belizean citizen residing in Commerce, accused of fraudulently registering in 2019 and voting in the elections of 2020, 2022, and 2024. Amandeep Kaur, a 30-year-old Indian citizen residing in Rancho Palos Verdes, is also among the accused, accused of registering in December 2022 and voting in the presidential elections of November 2024. Another accused is Erick Ronaldo Soto Mendizábal, 64 years old and Guatemalan, who allegedly voted in the general elections of 2024 and then provided false information during his naturalization process. The investigations were carried out by various federal agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The charges are accusations that still need to be proven in court. All defendants maintain the presumption of innocence until a court determines their guilt. The dispute between the Trump administration and California over elections The announcement comes amid a confrontation between the administration of Donald Trump and the electoral authorities of California, weeks before the November legislative elections. On October 15, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state to prevent certain ballots sent by mail from being counted until the citizenship of the voters is confirmed. According to the federal government, the authorities received a list of more than 20,000 people registered to vote who may not be U.S. citizens. "Each of the 28 accused today appears on the list of more than 20,000 potential non-citizen voters that we provided to the California election officials last week," stated Trent McCotter, acting assistant attorney general. The official maintained that California had to verify the citizenship of these people before counting their votes. For their part, the principal assistant federal prosecutor Bill Essayli stated: "Today's arrests demonstrate what we have been saying." He also accused the state of sending ballots to people who do not have the right to vote. The Trump administration had previously warned that election officials processing votes from alleged non-citizens could face investigations and eventual criminal proceedings. However, the identification of potential foreign voters by the federal government has raised questions. The authorities did not publicly explain how they compiled the list of more than 20,000 names. What happens to permanent residents who vote without being citizens In the United States, having a green card does not equate to obtaining citizenship. Permanent residents can live and work in the country legally, but they are not authorized to participate in federal elections. Furthermore, falsely declaring U.S. citizenship can have criminal and immigration consequences, especially when this information is used to register as a voter or during a naturalization process. The Department of Justice indicated that investigations will continue in coordination with the FBI, HSI, and USCIS. Although the Trump administration presented the charges as part of its efforts to combat electoral fraud, available studies indicate that the voting of people without U.S. citizenship is infrequent.